Sorry I didn't post this already, but I went to visit an expo.
11. Reminiscence of the IT Manager
Itoi Some of our new staffs may not know, but Mr.Iwata was one of the start-up members of Hobonichi.
Iwata I was the IT manager of Hobonichi. (laugh) Is it still valid?
Itoi Of course, yes. I don't remember firing you. (laugh)
All (laugh)
Iwata For those who don't know, Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun started on June 6th, 1998. About one month before that, I met Mr.Itoi. He took me to Nezumiana (where the office of Tokyo Itoi Shigesato Office was located at the time), and he said "I want to start up a web site here". I was knocked off of my feet. This was only one month before the start up!
All (laugh)
Itoi I didn't know what I was saying. (laugh) I don't have much knowledge now, but at that time, I had close to zero.
Iwata I think it was because that you had such small knowledge that you were able to say you were going to start up a web site in a month. From then I arranged computers and Internet providers, put together a LAN, and said "I think you can start now."
Itoi Pretty bad, huh? (laugh)
All (laugh)
Iwata No, I had fun. I've been the IT manager of Hobobnichi ever since.
Itoi If you ask Mogi sitting there, Mr.Iwata's still the "guy that knows about computers", rather than the top of Nintendo.
Mogi Yes.
All (laugh)
Iwata If I heard that there's not enough memory on the computers, I would open up the machines adding more RAM.
Itoi I was like "Are you supposed to pull that out like that?" and he was like "Yes... (bang!)"
All (laugh)
Iwata Mr.Itoi thought that it would work out somehow, although he sensed that it would be a tough job. A leader should be that way. People try to figure out a way, because the project lies on the premise that "it should work out somehow". I do this sometimes. When we were developing Wii, I told my staff that I want the body to be the size of 3 DVD cases stacked together. I knew it was an extremely difficult demand, but I said it like I didn't know that.
Itoi I understand this very well. It's not that you aren't aware of the difficulties.
Iwata Of course not. However, it's also very important to strike a proper balance. Organizations fall apart if the people in charge only demand the impossible.
Itoi Sometimes, you've got to ask for the impossible though.
Iwata Yes, and when I said it, it was that kind of situation. The fact that you chose June 6th 1998 to establish Hobonichi seems divine to me. Of course, it was synchronized with the opening date of the World Cup, but still, there's no other date than that day. I can swear that Hobonichi wouldn't have been what it is now if you have started half a year earlier, or half a year later. That timing was great, you started late enough where you were able to avoid the predecessors' mistakes, and it was early enough so that it could grow to a scale it is now. You were able to seize the moment. The timing you started up Hobonichi makes it what it is today. I was just amazed at your decision, and I wanted to make it happen, to make it work. That's why I devoted in being the IT manager.
Itoi I've heard him talk about this "timing" so many times, but I still don't understand the value of it. There are always people who say the opposite, that it's "too late" or "too early". You always have to listen to both.
Iwata I know.
Itoi I remember people saying "What, are you starting up now?" as if it was too late. I had lots of people telling me that they would help, but it was like out of pity. I talked with all of them, but gained nothing from them. I wonder what they are doing now.
Iwata I'm sure tons of people said "You have such a career in the advertisement field. Why toss that and start something like this?"
Itoi Tons.
Iwata I remember you saying that "Since 'It's Popular Now' has become the most effective advertisement phrase, I can find any meaning in advertisement anymore". I understood why you started up Hobonichi. People who didn't see what you were thinking must have thought "Why the Internet, Itoi? "
The same happened when Nintendo announced we're making a portable game machine with dual-screen and touch panel.
Itoi Interesting.
Iwata A lot of people thought Nintendo had gone nuts when they heard this. For us, our future was not in a continuous line of what we were doing then. The decision came from that point of view, but to people out there, what we said seemed offbeat.
Itoi I didn't see things as clearly as you did, but I sensed that the world of Internet would grow, not that it would be a risky field. Although people tried to teach me many things, what I felt was that one day, normal people would just come to "know" about the Internet.
Iwata It came true.
Itoi Maybe I was calm at that time, come to think of it. The history of the Internet virtually starts around 1995, right? When people who didn't know anything about communication came up to me and started preaching about the Internet, it didn't persuade me at all. After all, all they knew was only a couple of years more than what I knew. Plus, at that time, I thought you as someone who knew everything. I thought, "And we do have Mr.Iwata..." (laugh)
Iwata Ha ha ha.
Itoi He can even add RAM to our computers! (laugh)
All (laugh)
Itoi Well, you don't have to check our computers anymore, but please drop by our office every now and then. You're still our IT manager.
Iwata Sure. (laugh)
That was the last part.
